FreedomWorks - Canadahttp://www.freedomworks.org/fieldtags/canada
enKeystone Round 2: Will Obama Blink?http://www.freedomworks.org/content/keystone-round-2-will-obama-blink
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>Correct me if I'm wrong, but we're still a nation <a href="http://www.omaha.com/article/20130117/NEWS/701179912/1707" target="_blank">desperately in need of jobs and revenue</a>, right?</p><blockquote><p>A new study commissioned by supporters of the controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline says Nebraska could reap close to $2 billion in economic benefits if the project were built.</p><p>Creighton University economist Ernie Goss, hired to conduct the analysis, said pipeline construction would create several thousand Nebraska jobs while ongoing operations would result in several hundred positions. Over the next 16 years, the pipeline would generate close to $60&nbsp;million in property tax revenue for the counties where it would be located, Goss said.</p></blockquote><p>There has been some chatter that President Obama will approve it this time around, although it is all pure conjecture at the moment. Lame-duck office holders do have the luxury of irritating the base as well as the opposition, however.</p><p>The conundrum for the president is that the Keystone issue places him squarely in between the two constituencies he holds most dear: Big Labor and the Enviromaniacs. While union support for the pipeline hasn't been universal, Mr. Obama's decision to nix it the first time around <a href="http://spectator.org/archives/2012/02/07/keystone-and-the-unions" target="_blank">did anger some</a>.</p><blockquote><p>Mark H. Ayers, president of the Building and Construction Trades Department, AFL-CIO has publicly hammered the jobs issue. In a January 18th press release, Ayers voiced the frustration of many union workers, <a href="http://www.bctd.org/Newsroom/Latest-News/BCTD-President-Ayers-statement-on-withdrawal-of-Ke.aspx" target="_blank"> saying</a> “…with a national unemployment rate in construction at 16 percent nationally, it is beyond disappointing that President Obama placed a higher priority on politics rather than our nation’s number one challenge: jobs.”</p> <p>James T. Callahan, president of the International Union of Operating Engineers, agrees, <a href="http://www.iuoe.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=JlCDM4xZAJY%3d&amp;tabid=36" target="_blank"> complaining to the <em>Washington Post</em></a> &nbsp;that Obama’s decision was “…a blow to America’s construction workers,” who are struggling in “the sector hardest hit by the recession.”</p></blockquote><p>In an effort to keep the peace with Big Labor when that happened, the president, naturally, blamed Republicans.</p><blockquote><p>In his rejection of the pipeline, Obama blamed Republicans for forcing him to meet what the <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2012/01/18/statement-president-keystone-xl-pipeline" target="_blank"> While House deemed</a> an arbitrary deadline. This despite the fact that the State Department <a href="http://campaign2012.washingtonexaminer.com/article/republicans-should-double-down-keystone/330506" target="_blank"> has had the application</a> for Keystone since 2008, held 20 meetings on the subject, and produced a gargantuan 1,000 page Environmental Study to assess the possible consequences of the pipeline, which would bring oil from the tar sands of Alberta, Canada, to the Gulf Coast of the United States. As Rep. Joe Barton of Texas ruefully noted, the U.S. “fought and won World War II” in a shorter amount of time.</p></blockquote><p>Proponents of the project continue to pressure President Obama. Today, he received a letter from Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall and ten Republican governors <a href="http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/277789-gop-govs-canadian-official-press-obama-to-approve-keystone-pipeline" target="_blank">urging him to approve the pipeline</a>. </p><blockquote><p><br>The governors of Arizona, Idaho, Kansas, Nevada, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Utah and Wyoming signed the letter, which also touts Keystone as a job-creating project.<br><br>“As legislators and decision-makers, we felt it imperative to speak up for a project that will contribute greatly to a safe, secure and long-term energy supply for North America,” Wall said in a statement. “We need greater pipeline capacity to move the oil – Canadian and American – that is vital to our shared goal of North American energy security.”</p></blockquote><p>Who will win this family fight among strong Democrat constituencies? Will President Obama make his labor supporters happy and create jobs and taxable revenue in the process? Or will he continue his first term habit of wasting taxpayer money on unproven green companies that either yield few results or fail completely?</p><p>This would be a most opportune time for Bill Clinton to send some of his trademark political pragmatism over to the White House.&nbsp;</p></div></div></div>Fri, 18 Jan 2013 14:08:52 +0000StephenKruiser55934 at http://www.freedomworks.orghttp://www.freedomworks.org/content/keystone-round-2-will-obama-blink#commentsCanada: Stop Playing Politics and Approve the Keystone Pipelinehttp://www.freedomworks.org/content/canada-stop-playing-politics-and-approve-keystone-pipeline
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p><img src="http://assets.inhabitat.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2011/08/pipeline-transcanda-537x402.jpg" width="240" height="180">During his acceptance speech, a freshly re-elected President Obama spoke of a&nbsp;<a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/decision2012/president-obamas-acceptance-speech-full-transcript/2012/11/07/ae133e44-28a5-11e2-96b6-8e6a7524553f_story_2.html">message</a> that he received from the American people, a message to "focus on <em>your </em>jobs" and to tackle the challenge of "freeing ourselves from foreign oil". &nbsp;</p><p>With that in mind, there is one project in the international spotlight that would quickly and easily address both of those issues - approval of the Keystone XL Pipeline. &nbsp;</p><p>And now, our Canadian allies are urging the White House to stop playing politics, stop sending mixed signals, stop stalling, and approve the project that would not only benefit our neighbors to the north, but the United States economy itself.</p><p>For the past year, the Obama administration played politics with the Keystone project in an attempt to placate the far-left environmental contingency in the Democrat party, creating confusion about the future of the pipeline and leaving Canada to wonder if their support and friendship were being taken for granted.</p><p>Peter McKenna, chair of the Political Science Department at the University of Prince Edward Island <a href="http://www.journalpioneer.com/News/Local/2012-11-12/article-3118967/Canada-keeping-close-eye-on-Obama-administration/1">stated</a>, "It made sense for Obama to put that (Keystone) on the back burner to deal with the environmental constituency of the Democratic Party". &nbsp;</p><p>He added however, that issues affecting Canada need to be addressed now that the election is over, citing the Keystone XL Pipeline as "the most important issue".&nbsp;</p><p>While the President's initial decision to reject the pipeline was blatantly political in nature, it came at a cost to the American people, delaying real job creation and energy progress. &nbsp;Now however, approving construction <em>should </em>be a no-brainer.</p><p>In a post-election editorial, <em><a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/commentary/editorials/president-obama-its-time-to-approve-the-keystone-pipeline/article5085359/">The Globe and Mail</a></em> wrote:</p><blockquote><p>Last January, President Barack Obama rejected TransCanada Corp.’s proposal to build a pipeline carrying Canadian bitumen from the Alberta oil sands to refineries in the United States, including some in Texas on the Gulf of Mexico coast. The rejection was a calculated election-year move aimed at appeasing Mr. Obama’s supporters in the powerful environmental movement. With his re-election, the President should now move quickly to approve the Keystone XL pipeline on its merits alone.</p></blockquote><p>While Peter McKenna sees approval of the pipeline happening in the next six to twelve months, and <a href="http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/267329-moodys-obama-will-approve-keystone-xl-pipeline">with Moody's</a> also predicting approval, Stephen Ewart, Editor of the Calgary Herald's Energy and Economics section isn't quite <a href="http://www.edmontonjournal.com/business/Obama+could+dally+Keystone+decision/7516081/story.html">as optimistic</a>. &nbsp;</p><p>Ewart counters that approval of the pipeline is anything but a 'no-brainer', citing scheduled protests over the pipeline that will apply pressure to the White House, as well as looming concerns from environmental activists over the effects of climate change, concerns freshly renewed by the impact of Hurricane Sandy.</p><p>Ewart adds that despite the election results seemingly freeing the President to make the right decision on the pipeline, concern for his legacy means politics will continue to play a role in that decision.</p><blockquote><p>He writes, "Obama has provided little insight into his views on Keystone XL, but it seems unlikely politics will not play a role in the decision that will impact his presidential legacy."</p></blockquote><p>Uncertainty north of the border has been amplified by the administration's silence thus far on the project. &nbsp;Rather than following his campaign slogan by moving 'forward' with the project, President Obama has remained non-committal. &nbsp;</p><p>James Wood, also in the <a href="http://www.leaderpost.com/business/energy-resources/With+Obama+election+doubts+remain+about+future/7515076/story.html">Calgary Herald</a>, concurs.</p><blockquote><p>"...&nbsp;Obama, who earlier this year rejected TransCanada Corp.’s initial application because it needed more environmental review, has remained noncommittal about the fate of the line".</p></blockquote><p>Uncertainty for our Canadian allies creates another major concern for the U.S. - the threat of oil and economic resources being exported to China.</p><p>The Globe and Mail editorial cites this possibility:</p><blockquote><p>"The pipeline has even been touted as the best way for Canadian producers to export crude to China, by putting it on ships once it arrives in the Gulf."</p></blockquote><p>Most importantly, the same editorial spells out in simple terms why the Keystone XL Pipeline should easily garner approval. &nbsp;Aside from the many economic and energy benefits, the project has worked around areas that were of greatest concern to the environmental obstructionists.</p><blockquote><p>The "merits are many, and they serve both Canada and the United States. TransCanada Corp. has proposed a new route that avoids environmentally sensitive areas in Nebraska and reduces potential impact on the vital Ogallala aquifer. The pipeline’s construction will create jobs, secure a hungry market for the heavier crude from the oil sands, decrease North American dependency on overseas oil, and help lower the price of gas in the United States."</p></blockquote><p>Will the Obama administration follow through on their promise to focus on jobs and free the United States from the constraints of foreign oil? &nbsp;Perhaps of equal import, will they make a decision before these valuable resources end up benefitting other foreign countries such as China?</p><p>The economic benefits to our nation and our neighbors to the north are far too numerous to allow this opportunity to slip away.</p></div></div></div>Wed, 14 Nov 2012 14:40:01 +0000grusbf555729 at http://www.freedomworks.orghttp://www.freedomworks.org/content/canada-stop-playing-politics-and-approve-keystone-pipeline#commentsThanks to Democrats China Poised to Cut $15.1 Billion Oil Deal With Canadahttp://www.freedomworks.org/content/thanks-democrats-china-poised-cut-151-billion-oil-deal-canada
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>Thanks to Barack Obama and Democrats the Canadian government is finalizing $15.1 billion oil deal with China.</p><p>The Keystone Pipeline project was expected to create <a href="http://mediamatters.org/embed/clips/2011/11/07/21180/fbn-ftm-20111107-keystone">tens of thousands</a> of high paying jobs in the oil industry. The project itself would create <a href="http://www.sacbee.com/2011/11/14/4053148/ushcc-urges-swift-action-on-keystone.html">20,000 construction jobs</a>. And the pipeline would bring oil from Canada and <a href="http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2012/03/republicans-blast-obamas-failed-anti-energy-policies-in-weekly-address-video/">North Dakota</a> to refineries in the United States.</p><p>But it was just a big pipe dream. Obama rejected the plan.</p><p><img src="http://d7.freedomworks.org.s3.amazonaws.com/keystone_pipeline.jpg" alt="Keystone" title="Keystone" class="imagecache imagecache-full"></p><p>(<a href="http://bobmccarty.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Keystone_Pipeline.jpg">Bob McCarty</a>)</p><p>Now China and Canada are finalizing a $15.1 billion oil deal.<br> <strong>Wynton Hall</strong> at <a href="http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Peace/2012/07/28/Democrats-Backpedal-As-China-Readies-15-1-Billion-Canadian-Oil-Deal">Breitbart</a> reported:</p><blockquote><p>When President Barack Obama blocked the Keystone Pipeline, Republicans said the move would encourage Canada to pursue oil deals with China instead of the United States and cede a massive chunk of North American oil assets to the communist nation.</p><p>Now, with China's state-run oil company CNOOC poised to cut a <strong>$15.1 billion deal</strong>--the largest ever foreign acquisition for a Chinese company--with Canadian oil company Nexen, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) are in full backpedal mode.</p><p>In a draft letter to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), Sen. Schumer writes:</p><blockquote><p>I respectfully urge you, in your capacity as chairman of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), to withhold approval of this transaction to ensure U.S. companies reciprocal treatment.</p></blockquote><p>Similarly, Rep. Pelosi is now sounding alarms of concern. In a statement, Pelosi spokesperson Drew Hamill said:</p><blockquote><p>This deal prompts great concern about the Chinese government's continued attempts to use its state-owned enterprises to acquire global energy resources.</p></blockquote></blockquote><p>Once again, thanks to Democrats, America is getting the shaft.<br> But at least they kept their donors happy.</p></div></div></div>Sun, 29 Jul 2012 18:42:26 +0000jimhoft55489 at http://www.freedomworks.orghttp://www.freedomworks.org/content/thanks-democrats-china-poised-cut-151-billion-oil-deal-canada#commentsThe Doctor Will See You....in Nine Hourshttp://www.freedomworks.org/content/doctor-will-see-youin-nine-hours
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p><a href="http://www.canada.com/Health+wait+times+require+action+docs/1712025/story.html">A study</a> released yesterday gives a pretty bleak view of the Canadian health care system and a peak into our own future should such a plan be adopted.</p><blockquote><ul><li>For cancer patients, the study found that the median wait time for radiation therapy was almost seven weeks, exceeding the benchmark of four weeks...</li><li>Patients are also facing long delays when they go the emergency department, the WTA said, waiting an average of nine hours to be seen and treated and for patients who needed to be admitted, the average wait time was nearly 24 hours...</li><li>Wait times for psychiatric care are also well beyond the maximum wait-time benchmark of four weeks, the study said. Patients with major depression are waiting almost six weeks to start treatment with a psychiatrist.</li></ul></blockquote></div></div></div>Fri, 19 Jun 2009 15:47:25 +0000admin53849 at http://www.freedomworks.orghttp://www.freedomworks.org/content/doctor-will-see-youin-nine-hours#comments